Indian Grand Prix 3: Bengaluru Ready For Another Action As Rohit Yadav Makes A Comeback

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The third Indian Grand Prix athletics event, one of the final qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, is scheduled to take place at Bengaluru's Sree Kanteerava Stadium on June 12th.

No standout names are in the mix, possibly due to the National inter-state championship being held soon (June 27-30 in Panchkula, Haryana). But there are many stars participating in this competition. Let's check them out:

Nayana James: The veteran long jumper Nayana has had an outstanding season, securing victory in the Indian Open Jumps with a new personal record of 6.67 meters, claiming the Federation Cup gold, and achieving a leap of 6.43 meters in Taiwan, her longest outside of India.

Not only did she win the gold medal in the Taiwan Athletics Championships, but she also defeated Asian champion Sumire Hata. However, the entry requirement for Paris is 6.86 meters, which is three centimeters higher than Anju Bobby George's long-standing national record.

Nayana is anticipated to face competition from Ancy Sojan, the Asian Games silver medalist with a personal best of 6.63 meters. Notably, the young and promising Shaili Singh has not entered the competition.

Rohit Yadav: The javelin thrower is coming back from elbow surgery. Rohit was injured during last year's Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, and he's now making a comeback almost 10 months later.

"My last competition was in June last year, and it's my first competition after injury. I will look this competition as a trial." Rohit Yadav told exclusively to myKhel.

When asked about how he is feeling now, the 2023 Federation Cup gold medalist said, "My coach doesn't push too much because you just recovered from the injury. So, it's a kind of trial for you, don't push too much and don't give 100%."

Last year, Rohit achieved his personal best of 83.40 meters in the Federation Cup in Ranchi. When asked about how much confidence he will gain from this competition, Rohit replied, "If I play in competitions regularly, I can gain some confidence. In the competition (IGP 3), I will understand my current condition. It feels like it's been so many days.

"I wonder what will happen. I am participating in this competition to prepare for the Inter State Athletics Championships. I don't think about the number of throws, but if I make one good throw, I will gain some confidence. Yes, we practiced in the evening here at Kanteerava Stadium."

The Paris Olympics qualification standard for men's javelin throw is 85.50 meters. Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena have already qualified, but there is one spot left for a third javelin thrower. So, who will qualify for Paris: Rohit Yadav or DP Manu?

Abha Khatua: India's current best female shot put thrower, Abha Khatua, is also competing in this competition. Recently, she created a new national record of 18.41 meters in women's shot put at the Federation Cup held in Bhubaneswar. The Paris Olympics qualification standard for women's shot put is 18.80 meters, and Abha will look to breach that mark.

Kishore Jena: The new poster boy of Indian javelin throw, Kishore Jena, will also be competing in the one-day event. The Odisha athlete came into the spotlight with his remarkable performance in the Asian Games last year, where he threw 87.54m and won the silver medal.

This year has not been going well for Kishore. He participated in two competitions this year, the Doha Diamond League and the Federation Cup, but he didn't manage to cross 80 meters in either competition. Kishore has already qualified for the Paris Olympics, and he will try to regain his confidence in this competition.

Sarvesh Kushare: The 2023 Asian Athletics Championships silver medalist will compete in his first event in India this year. This will be his fifth competition in 2024, and his best jump so far is 2.23 meters in this season.

The high jumper will aim to exceed the Paris Olympics qualification standard of 2.33 meters. If he achieves this, he will not only qualify for the Paris Olympics but also become the national record holder of India in men's high jump. The current national record is held by Tejaswin Shankar with a jump of 2.29 meters.

The entry lists suggest that the women's 400m race will be exciting, featuring competitors such as Prachi, Vithya Ramraj, Subha Venkatesan, V.K. Vismaya, and Poovamma, all aiming for strong performances. While India's men's and women's 4x400m relay teams have qualified for Paris, the final lineup of quartermilers has yet to be decided.